Blinking Into The Sun
by Bellarsam Chrisjulittle
Summary: One-shot of Newt bonding with his firstborn. Pure baby, father-daughter bonding, happy Scamander family fluff.


Warm.

This was the perfect word to describe the atmosphere within the Scamander home in Dorset, England. It was the first week of July, and the temperature of the air outside was finally worthy of the summer season. The late afternoon sun was beginning to tease the horizon, and everything in nature seemed to naturally slow down. Inside the cottage that the Scamander family called home, the air was slightly cooler, but warm in another way. A better way.

Porpentina Esther Scamander, nee Goldstein, was deeply asleep in the couple's bedroom. Gertie, their amber kneazle, lay curled at her mistress' feet, taking a nap herself. A few months after their marriage, the creature had followed Tina home from the village their cottage was on the outskirts of. Of course, the couple took the kneazle in, and Gertie had proved a loyal pet ever since.

In the room next door, which was a bit smaller but very cozy, Newton Artemis Fido Scamander sat in a rocking chair – but he was not alone. On his lap, resting atop a soft pillow, lay Phoebe Ruth Scamander. Tiny and pink, with a sprinkling of his ginger hair and her mother's dark eyes staring all around the nursery, her father believed her to be (with the exception of his wife) the most beautiful creature ever born.

As the little one gripped his index finger, Newt smiled and murmured, "Already as strong as your mother, I see."

He was careful to keep his voice soft and low as he spoke. Tina had been up since three in the morning, when Phoebe had loudly demanded to be fed. Fourteen hours later, Newt had persuaded her to have a lie-in; he and Phoebe would be perfectly fine for a while. Thankfully, Tina was too tired to put up much of a fight, and she knew that her husband was more than capable of looking after Phoebe by himself. After all, how many creatures – both adult and child – had he nurtured and cared for?

"Shall I tell you something, sweetheart?" Newt asked his daughter, a little smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

Phoebe's almond eyes shifted to his face as both of her tiny hands wrapped around his finger.

"You are three weeks old today." Now the smile on his face bloomed into a full one. "Three weeks old exactly as of fifteen minutes ago. I can't deny that both your mum and I were quite relieved when you arrived before night fell. Your mother had already been working so hard since before dawn. But all that mattered was that you were healthy and she was healthy at the end of the day."

Newt bent down a little closer, signifying that he was telling his baby girl a secret.

"Between you and me, I was quite useless that day. I know your mum would dispute that, but it was she who did all of the work. And words could never describe how extraordinary she was that day, and how extraordinary you were when you finally arrived. Take it from me, sweetheart: I was just lucky to have been there."

Newt bent down and kissed his baby girl's nose. He pulled back as excitement entered his expression (though he was still careful to keep his voice soft).

"And next week, when you are officially a month old, we will celebrate that with your Aunt Queenie, Uncle Jacob, and your cousins, Isaac and Daniel. They'll arrive in three days. We're so excited to see them, especially your mummy, and I _know_ that they'll be so happy to meet you. Your Auntie Queenie has made you some little garments that she's been very keen to make for a little girl, and your Uncle Jacob has invented a new tea cake for his bakery in your honor. I'm sure it will be absolutely scrumptious. And the twins are quite eager to meet their first cousin, I'm told. Thankfully, they'll be staying in England for two weeks, so you'll get to know each other quite well..." He sighed. "I _do_ wish that we could all live closer to each other…but it is what it is." His slight melancholy faded as an idea entered his mind. "The twins will celebrate their fourth birthday in October…perhaps your mum and I can discuss going for a visit. I know that your mum wants to show you where she grew up, and so do I. After all, it is where your mummy and I met. But that's a story for another day, when she can help me tell it."

Phoebe had watched her father as he spoke, gripping his finger and occasionally bringing it up to her mouth to explore. As she did, her rosebud of a mouth widened and her eyes shut in a big yawn.

Newt chuckled, and lowered his voice just a bit more. "And when you are not quite so sleepy. Very good, Phoebe. You _should_ be tired after you finished the entire bottle your mummy left for you. Now, do you think you'll be able to sleep for more than a few hours? Could you do that for us? Just once, please?"

Phoebe let her eyes drift from her father's face to a crack in the ceiling above her.

Newt sighed, not daring to take that as an affirmative or negative answer. Then, he noticed that the light peeking through the curtains of the nursery had changed, and his heart filled with excitement at the opportunity now presented to him.

"But before you fall asleep, Phoebe, there is something that I simply must show you." Newt then extracted his finger from her grasp, and used both hands to gently lift his daughter. Once she was cradled in his arms, he slowly stood from the rocking chair, allowing the pillow she had been resting on to fall and bounce to one side.

Newt walked to the window, and drew back the curtain of the nursery window, which faced west. The sky outside held only one or two clouds in the sky, and the sun was setting in a spectacular display of colors and light.

Newt lifted Phoebe up in the cradle of his arms, so that her whole face and body became bathed in the soft light of the setting sun. She blinked, rubbed her eyes with her tiny hands, and opened them again. Soon, she was staring in complete rapture out her bedroom window. Her father alternated his gaze between the sunset and his daughter; there was no doubt in his mind which was more beautiful.

After the sun had fully set, Phoebe's eyelids drooped until her dark eyes were barely open. Satisfied, Newt walked away from the window and gently transferred his baby girl to rest against his chest. Cradling her head over his heart, Newt slowly paced in a circle around the nursery. He kept his voice softer than ever now.

"You've no idea how much I envy you, my sweetheart…You've so much to look forward to, so many adventures to have, wonders to discover, magic to learn, creatures to befriend, and the whole world to see…" Newt sighed. "But there is darkness, too…and if I could, I would keep it all from touching you. But even I know that is impossible, even if there weren't a dark wizard wreaking terror and destruction on the world right now. That's nature's way, Phoebe: light and dark, day and night, the cycle of life and death…the balance of it all."

She was asleep now, having listened to and felt her father's voice. So, Newt carefully laid her down into the bassinet, and then tucked a lightly-crocheted blanket around her. Bending down so that his nose nearly brushed hers, Newt said one last thing:

"I know that I'll make some mistakes along the way, but I promise you…I will do the best I can…and I will always love you, my sweetheart."

Phoebe yawned and flexed her hand, but didn't wake; Newt smiled and he blinked away tears of pure emotion. With that, he kissed her head and left the nursery with a final "sweet dreams" to his baby girl.

After closing the nursery door – but leaving it open just a crack – Newt was in his and Tina's bedroom. He smiled at the sight of her curled up on her side of the bed, still napping, and Gertie curled up at the foot of the bed. He toed off his shoes and carefully climbed onto his side of the bed. After scooting right up to Tina, Newt curled around her and draped an arm over her torso.

As his eyes were beginning to drift closed, he heard Tina mumble, "Is she sleeping?"

Newt smiled, taking her hand in his. "Like a baby."

Tina gave a soft snort, squeezing his hand. "Let's do the same for as long as we can."

"Absolutely, love."

Silence, and then he heard her mumble, "…Love you."

Newt kissed the crook of her neck, spooning her as closely as he could. "And I you."

In the next minute, they had joined their daughter (and kneazle) in warm slumber.


End file.
